Tattooist Taiki Masuda is challenging a law that makes him a criminal for practicing what he considers a form of art.
In a case that could lift or doom thousands of tattoo artists nationwide, the 27-year-old designer in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, has appealed an order by a summary court in Osaka to pay a fine of ¥300,000 for violating the Medical Practitioners' Law, which bans anyone other than licensed doctors from engaging in "medical practices."
His pretrial arrangement proceedings — where his lawyer and prosecutors discuss points of contention in the upcoming trial — begin at the Osaka District Court on Friday.
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